Category: Best ESO Builds, Best Arcanist Builds, Solo Builds, One Bar Builds, Heavy Attack Builds
The RUNE WALKER Build is the EASIEST Arcanist Build you can play in ESO for both Solo and Group Content! With a flexible and EASY One Bar Rotation and No Trials Gear needed this is the ultimate starter build for the Arcanist Class!
What you will learn in this One Bar Heavy Attack build guide:
- The best item sets to use with the Arcanist One Bar Build, and why they are important.
- How the skills work, synergies with the gear, and your rotation.
- The best consumables, race, and mundus, and most importantly, why you should select them.
This guide has been updated for The Elder Scrolls Online Update 50.
Table Of Contents
- Arcanist Class Overview
- Sets
- Alternative Sets
- Gear Setup
- Attributes
- Race
- Mundus
- Food & Drink
- Potions
- Subclassing Skill Lines
- One Bar Skills
- Skills Explanation
- Rotation
- Passive Skills
- Champion Points
- More Arcanist Builds For ESO
Arcanist Class Overview
The Arcanist Class is an extremely powerful way to play in The Elder Scrolls Online. Arcanists have many similarities with other classes in ESO such as dedicated Class Skill lines for DPS, for Healing, and for Tanking. Arcanists are also extremely unique in that they make use of a powerful new game mechanic called Crux. For a more detailed guide be sure to review our ESO Arcanist Class Guide located here.
The Arcanist class is available to players who have purchased the Necrom Chapter. You can also buy the class directly for 1,500 Crowns (roughly $15). Therefore, this is not a base game class and will require you to spend extra money to unlock. However, it is worth it for serious ESO players as it remains one of the best classes overall!
Arcanist Heavy Attack Build Sets
First, the Sergeant’s Mail set is undoubtedly the strongest Heavy Attack set in the game still in terms of raw damage output. Keep in mind though that this effect has a stacking mechanic and you must maintain all 4 stacks in order to receive the highest damage.
We’ve combined this with another Heavy Attack set, Noble Duelist, which buffs all of our Heavy Attacks by a Massive amount and is easy to maintain while in melee range.
The Oakensoul Ring is the go to Mythic Item for One Bar Builds and packs a punch, delivering many powerful Major and Minor buffs, and in this case the Heavy Attack buff “Empower.”
Finally, a one piece Monster Set is perfect for adding some extra stats to this build. A great option is Slimecraw for the additional Critical Chance.
Sergeant’s Mail
LVL 50 – CP 160
SET BONUS
(2 items) Adds 1206 Maximum Health
(3 items) Adds 129 Health Recovery
(4 items) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage
(5 items) When you deal damage with a Heavy Attack, you gain a stack of Sergeant’s Focus for 5 seconds, increasing the damage of your Heavy Attacks by 645 per stack. This effect can occur once every second and stacks up to 4 times.
Noble Duelist
LVL 50 – CP 160
SET BONUS
(2 items) Adds 129 Stamina Recovery
(3 items) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage
(4 items) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage
(5 items) When you deal damage with a Light or Heavy Attack in melee range, you cause your Light and Heavy Attacks to deal an additional 2111 damage for 15 seconds. This effect can occur once every 12 seconds.
The Oakensoul Ring
LVL 50 – CP 160
SET BONUS
(1 item) While equipped, you are unable to swap between your Primary and Backup Weapon Sets and gain Minor Berserk, Minor Courage, Major Brutality, Major Sorcery, Major Prophecy, Major Savagery, Minor Force, Minor Protection, Major Resolve, Minor Fortitude, Minor Intellect, Minor Endurance, Minor Heroism, Minor Aegis, Minor Slayer and Empower.
Volcanic stone for Firesong. Gems for Eldertide. With Stonelore craftsmanship to bind them together. This ring is the Draoife Incarnate. The might of the druids, in the palm of your hand.
Slimecraw
LVL 50 – CP 160
SET BONUS
(1 item) Adds 657 Critical Chance
(2 items) Adds 113 Critical Chance, Gain Minor Berserk at all times, increasing your damage done by 5%
Arcanist Heavy Attack Build Alternative Sets
Either heavy attack set can be easily replaced on this build. For Alternate Sets, look for anything with Critical Chance such as Mother’s Sorrow or Order’s Wrath.
Mother’s Sorrow
LVL 50 – CP 160
SET BONUS
(2 items) Adds 1096 Maximum Magicka
(3 items) Adds 657 Critical Chance
(4 items) Adds 657 Critical Chance
(5 items) Adds 1528 Critical Chance
Order’s Wrath
LVL 50 – CP 160
SET BONUS
(2 items) Adds 657 Critical Chance
(3 items) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage
(4 items) Adds 657 Critical Chance
(5 items) Adds 943 Critical Chance, Increases your Critical Damage and Critical Healing by 8%.
Oakensoul Ring Lead Locations
Getting the Oakensoul Ring in ESO is easier than you might think! Check out our full Oakensoul Ring Guide.
Arcanist Heavy Attack Build Gear
| Weapon/Armor | Set | Trait | Weight | Glyph |
| Main Hand | Sergeant’s Mail Lightning Staff | Precise | NA | Shock Enchant |
| Head | Slimecraw | Divines | Medium | Magicka |
| Shoulder | Noble Duelist | Divines | Light | Magicka |
| Chest | Sergeant’s Mail | Divines | Heavy | Magicka |
| Waist | Noble Duelist | Divines | Light | Magicka |
| Gloves | Noble Duelist | Divines | Light | Magicka |
| Legs | Noble Duelist | Divines | Light | Magicka |
| Feet | Noble Duelist | Divines | Light | Magicka |
| Necklace | Sergeant’s Mail | Bloodthirsty | NA | Spell Damage |
| Ring 1 | Sergeant’s Mail | Bloodthirsty | NA | Spell Damage |
| Ring 2 | Oakensoul Ring | Bloodthirsty | NA | Spell Damage |
Arcanist Heavy Attack Build Attributes
The best attribute for a One Bar Build is Magicka because it increase the effectiveness of our skills. Additionally, increased magicka can increase the size of a shield and healing spells. It’s best to pick one attribute pool and “stack” for optimal damage and resource sustain. Therefore, I recommend 64 magicka, 0 health, and 0 stamina.
64 Magicka
0 Health
0 Stamina
Arcanist Heavy Attack Build Race
The best overall race for a Arcanist one bar heavy attack builds is the High Elf because they have reduced damage while channeling abilities (spell recharge). This passive works with our heavy attack as a main spammable! Moreover, the race has extra magicka resource sustain and weapon and spell damage.
Other good choices are the Khajiit thanks to the extra Critical Damage, Max Stats, and recoveries. However, it’s not a commonly used race for end-game serious PvE DPS. If that’s your goal eventually, use the Dark Elf. If you struggle with resource sustain and want to spam cast spells, choose the Breton.
For more details on all ESO Races and passive bonuses be sure to check out our Full ESO Race Guide.
Arcanist Heavy Attack Build Mundus
The Thief is the best mundus stone for the One Bar Arcanist build because you cannot reach a “cap.” Critical damage (Shadow mundus) and offensive penetration (Lover) both can reach a hardcap where you see no benefit. Most Veteran enemies have 18,200 armor, thus Shadow becomes ineffective if using light armor. Meanwhile, the hardcap for critical damage is 125% which can be reached in trials with medium armor equipped. This is why the Thief is superior as an all around mundus stone, giving you the best benefit regardless of the content.
Increases the Critical Strike rating by 1333
With 7 Divines armor pieces
Increases the Critical Strike rating by 2167
The Lover
Increases Physical and Spell Penetration by 2744
With 7 Divines armor pieces
Increases Physical and Spell Penetration by 4489
Arcanist Heavy Attack Build Food & Drink
The best food for a One Bar Arcanist is Bewitched Sugar Skulls because it increases all three stat pools. Using heavy attacks constantly will give you great magicka resource sustain, therefore three stats is optimal. An alternative to Bewitched Sugar Skulls is Longfin Pasty with Melon Sauce. This is purple quality, cheaper, same buff to three stat pools just cheaper overall.
Below are the ingredients for the Food choices:
- Bewitched Sugar Skulls: Scrib Jelly, Flour, Columbine, Bervez Juice, and Honey.
- Longfin Pasty with Melon Sauce: fish fruit, melon vegetable, greens, and Frost Mirriam.
Bewitched Sugar Skulls
Increase Max Health by 4620, Max Stamina and Magicka by 4250, and Health Recovery by 462 for 2 hours.
These effects are scaled based on your level.
Arcanist Heavy Attack Build Potions
The best armor potions for a Arcanist One Bar build are Essence of Health armor potions using Bugloss, Mountain Flower, Mudcrab Chitin. This potion boost your spell and physical resistance lowering overall damage. Moreover it’s not a buff like Major Resolve, so it stacks and allows you to reach very high resistances.
Alternatively, you can use Tri Potions and get an extra on-demand heal and better resource sustain. These Tri Stat potions restore Max Health, Max Magicka, and Max Stamina
Basic Increase Armor Potions
Bugloss, Mountain Flower, Mudcrab Chitin
Tri-Stat Potions
Subclassing Skill Lines
Subclassing can be used to make this build more effective, though it is not required. The recommended Subclassing Skill lines are:
Arcanist Heavy Attack Build One Bar Skills
Main Weapon: LIGHTNING STAFF – Click on a Skill Name to learn more
- Unstable Wall Of Elements
- Cephaliarch’s Flail or Tentacular Dread
- Tidal Chakram
- Deep Fissure or Elemental Susceptibility
- Evolving Runemend
- ULT: The Languid Eye
Skills Explanation – Arcanist Heavy Attack Build
Front Bar Lightning Staff (No back bar)
- Unstable Wall Of Elements: massive AOE damage in rectangle and this morph explodes at the end and can be spam cast for AOE spammable, maintain due to elemental status effects.
- Cephaliarch’s Flail: this is your preferred skill for solo content as it heals you back when hitting enemies. It also generates Crux
- Tentacular Dread: magicka morph that doesn’t create crux but consumes them to deal increased damage at medium range though it has a cast time and will drop your block.
- Chakram Of Destiny: damage shield skill which generates Crux which you can spend on Tentacular Dread
- Tidal Chakram: preferred damage shield morph which also adds a powerful heal over time when consuming Crux – great for survival.
- Evolving Runemend: use this as an emergency heal when you get below 50% health.
- ULT: The Languid Eye: your main damaging Ultimate, great for nuking down bosses.
Arcanist Heavy Attack Build Rotation
Buffs
Start by casting Chakram Of Destiny for a shield, then use your Armor Potion.
Rotation
Cast Unstable Wall Of Elements, then Tentacular Dread or Cephaliarch’s Flail to debuff the enemy. Alternate Heavy Attacks with Escalating Runeblades to build Crux. Recast Unstable Wall Of Elements and Tentacular Dread when they expire. Tentacular Dread is more effective if cast with 3 Crux active.
Arcanist Heavy Attack Build Passive Skills
Class Passives
- Herald of the Tome
- Apocryphal Soldier
- Curative Runeforms
Weapon Passives
Armor Passives
Guild Passives
- Undaunted
Racial
Other
- Alchemy
Champion Points
Below you will find the recommended Active and Passive Champion Point Stars for this build, broken down into 300, 600, 900, and 1200 CP ranges.
For more information on Champion Points click on a Star name below or browse our detailed Champion Points Guides.
Constellation Descriptions:
Craft TREE
The Green Craft Constellation is focused on crafting and utility-centered upgrades.
Warfare TREE
The Blue Warfare Constellation focuses primarily on increasing player damage, healing and defenses
Fitness TREE
The Red Fitness Constellation is focused on character survival and sustain.
– 300 Champion Points –
GREEN
BLUE
RED
– 600 Champion Points –
GREEN
- 50 Steed’s Blessing (Slot)
- 50 Gilded Fingers
- 10 Fortune’s Favor
- 10 Wanderer
- 50 Steadfast Enchantment
- 30 Rationer
– 900 Champion Points –
GREEN
- 50 Steed’s Blessing (Slot)
- 50 Gilded Fingers
- 10 Fortune’s Favor
- 10 Wanderer
- 50 Steadfast Enchantment
- 30 Rationer
- 50 Treasure Hunter
- 30 Master Gatherer (Slot)
- 20 Gifted Rider (Slot)
BLUE
- 20 Precision
- 20 Piercing
- 50 Weapons Expert (Slot)
- 50 Deadly Aim (Slot)
- 50 Reaving Blows (Slot)
- 50 Fighting Finesse (Slot)
- 20 Eldritch Insight
- 20 Tireless Discipline
RED
- 50 Boundless Vitality (Slot)
- 50 Rejuvenation (Slot)
- 10 Sprinter
- 8 Hasty
- 20 Hero’s Vigor
- 10 Shield Master
- 50 Bastion (Slot)
- 50 Fortified (Slot)
- 30 Tumbling
– 1200 Champion Points –
GREEN
- 50 Steed’s Blessing (Slot)
- 50 Gilded Fingers
- 10 Fortune’s Favor
- 10 Wanderer
- 50 Steadfast Enchantment
- 30 Rationer
- 50 Treasure Hunter
- 30 Master Gatherer (Slot)
- 50 Gifted Rider (Slot)
- 75 War Mount (Slot)
BLUE
- 20 Precision
- 20 Piercing
- 50 Weapons Expert (Slot)
- 50 Deadly Aim (Slot)
- 50 Reaving Blows (Slot)
- 50 Fighting Finesse (Slot)
- 20 Eldritch Insight
- 20 Tireless Discipline
- 20 Quick Recovery
- 20 Preparation
- 20 Elemental Aegis
- 20 Hardy
- 40 Flawless Ritual
- 30 War Mage
RED
- 50 Boundless Vitality (Slot)
- 50 Rejuvenation (Slot)
- 20 Sprinter
- 16 Hasty
- 20 Hero’s Vigor
- 10 Shield Master
- 50 Bastion (Slot)
- 50 Fortified (Slot)
- 30 Tumbling
- 20 Defiance
- 20 Tireless Guardian
- 30 Fortification
Update Log
- June 8, 2026 – updated for ESO Update 50
- May 6, 2026 – Updated Green Champion Points
How To Create Powerful ESO Builds
Crafting the Perfect Build for you in The Elder Scrolls Online can be frustrating. Which skills are best for each class? What about passives? The best race? The best armor type and weapons? The best trait and glyphs? There are literally THOUSANDS of different options!
This is why we created the ESO Zero To Hero Build Academy – A Simple, yet Powerful build system that teaches the fundamentals of ESO Theorycrafting, step-by-step.
Build your character exactly how YOU want by following this simple process from start to finish and FINALLY start enjoying ESO the way you want to play it!
Our Guides are designed with New and Intermediate players in mind! Stop wasting hours searching the internet for the best ESO build information – get what you need NOW to succeed!
More Arcanist Builds For ESO
Want more Arcanist Builds? Check out our dedicated Arcanist Builds overview page for even more great options!
